Using the Smith Root sampler for eDNA collection in Big Pool within Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park in June, 2023. eDNA will be extracted and sequenced to look for the presence of amphibians.
Aaron Aunins, Ph.D.
Aaron is a Research Fish Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, WV.
Aaron Aunins obtained his Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011, where he studied the population genetics of American shad in Chesapeake Bay. He began working at the USGS Leetown Science Center in 2012. Aaron’s research interests are very broad – he has worked on conservation genetic studies of many diverse taxa including brook trout, shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, and Northeastern Beach tiger beetles among others. More recently, he has been focused on environmental DNA (eDNA) studies and has worked on eDNA metabarcoding of stream communities in National Capital Region Parks, using eDNA metabarcoding to characterize deep sea communities along the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast, and optimizing methods for detection of pollinators from eDNA left on flowers.
Science and Products
Advancing the Environmental DNA Toolkit for Ecosystem Monitoring and Management
The emerging field of Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis allows characterization of species presence and community biodiversity by identifying trace amounts of genetic material left behind as organisms move through their environments. EESC scientists have been using eDNA technologies to detect native and rare species and as community biomonitoring tools.
Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands
Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
By
Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory
Conservation Genetics and Genomics of the Narrowly Endemic Island Marble Butterfly Euchloe ausonides insulanus
The island marble butterfly ( Euchloe ausonides insulanus ) was first discovered on Vancouver Island, Canada in 1861. Based on morphological characteristics, it has been described as a subspecies of Euchloe ausonides . After a collection was made in 1908 on Gabriola Island, Canada, the island marble was not seen again until 1998 on San Juan Island, Washington, USA. Recent surveys have determined...
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is a relatively new field of science that incorporates elements of biology and computer science together for the purpose of developing efficient and robust methods for the analyses and interpretation of large amounts of biological data, typically DNA or RNA sequence data.
Sampling for eDNA at Big Pool in CHOH National Park
Using the Smith Root sampler for eDNA collection in Big Pool within Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park in June, 2023. eDNA will be extracted and sequenced to look for the presence of amphibians.
Filtering water in Rock Creek Park
This is Drew Kellogg, a 2019 USGS summer hire filtering water in Rock Creek Park for eDNA analyses. The eDNA will be screened for the presence of aquatic invertebrates.
This is Drew Kellogg, a 2019 USGS summer hire filtering water in Rock Creek Park for eDNA analyses. The eDNA will be screened for the presence of aquatic invertebrates.
Science and Products
Advancing the Environmental DNA Toolkit for Ecosystem Monitoring and Management
The emerging field of Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis allows characterization of species presence and community biodiversity by identifying trace amounts of genetic material left behind as organisms move through their environments. EESC scientists have been using eDNA technologies to detect native and rare species and as community biomonitoring tools.
Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands
Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
By
Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory
Conservation Genetics and Genomics of the Narrowly Endemic Island Marble Butterfly Euchloe ausonides insulanus
The island marble butterfly ( Euchloe ausonides insulanus ) was first discovered on Vancouver Island, Canada in 1861. Based on morphological characteristics, it has been described as a subspecies of Euchloe ausonides . After a collection was made in 1908 on Gabriola Island, Canada, the island marble was not seen again until 1998 on San Juan Island, Washington, USA. Recent surveys have determined...
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is a relatively new field of science that incorporates elements of biology and computer science together for the purpose of developing efficient and robust methods for the analyses and interpretation of large amounts of biological data, typically DNA or RNA sequence data.
Sampling for eDNA at Big Pool in CHOH National Park
Using the Smith Root sampler for eDNA collection in Big Pool within Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park in June, 2023. eDNA will be extracted and sequenced to look for the presence of amphibians.
Using the Smith Root sampler for eDNA collection in Big Pool within Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park in June, 2023. eDNA will be extracted and sequenced to look for the presence of amphibians.
Filtering water in Rock Creek Park
This is Drew Kellogg, a 2019 USGS summer hire filtering water in Rock Creek Park for eDNA analyses. The eDNA will be screened for the presence of aquatic invertebrates.
This is Drew Kellogg, a 2019 USGS summer hire filtering water in Rock Creek Park for eDNA analyses. The eDNA will be screened for the presence of aquatic invertebrates.